What are the most important things you want the Cowboys to be considering as the season continues to go on?
The Dallas Cowboys continued their dismal season on Monday when they lost to the Houston Texans, their fifth consecutive defeat. That leaves the team at 3-7 for the year, and all but assures that there won’t be a fourth straight playoff appearance, especially with quarterback Dak Prescott gone until 2025.
No matter what aspect you look at when it comes to the Cowboys, they’re a bad football team. They can’t stop the run, they can’t run it on offense, the offensive line is a mess, and they’re extremely undisciplined. However, there’s still seven more games for the Cowboys to play, and as frustrating as it is, the team has to grind it’s way through the rest of season and get to the offseason activities. Until then, let’s look at three things that we have learned about the Cowboys as they prepare for an NFC East battle with the Washington Commanders.
Dallas needs to seriously consider putting DaRon Bland on season-ending injured reserve
Bland had a season for the ages in 2023 by leading the NFL in interceptions (nine) and setting the record for touchdown returns with five. Unfortunately, he suffered a stress fracture in his foot that sidelined him for the first two months of the year. He was set to return a few weeks ago, but he had a setback in his recovery. With the Cowboys at 3-7 and little to no chance of making the playoffs, the team needs to think about shutting Bland down for the year. There’s no need to risk further injury in what has become a lost season for the Cowboys. The best thing is to let him heal up and come back ready for 2025.
Cowboys should think about moving on from Terence Steele
Steele was one of the better right tackles in the league in 2022. His ascension took a hit at the end of that season when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL. Despite this, the Cowboys signed him to a five-year extension before the 2023 season. He played all 17 games a year ago, but it was clear that he was still trying to get back to form. In 2024, Steele has struggled mightily. He’s getting beat with speed and power, and if a guy has any kind of a pass rush plan against Steele, they can make him look completely lost. The Cowboys should look at some of their alternatives at tackle, like Asim Richards, and see what they have for 2025 and beyond.
Juanyeh Thomas needs to play more
Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker have been solid for the most part over the last few years. However, especially when it comes to Wilson, that play has dwindled this season. Wilson has been a huge liability in coverage, and he has missed 18% of his tackles, which is the second-highest of his career. Thomas has shown that when he gets opportunities, he can be a playmaker. He’s very disciplined in coverage, and he can help against the run. Dallas has little to no hope of making the postseason, and Thomas is a player that they should highly consider bringing back in 2025. They should give him more snaps now to see what they have for the foreseeable future.
